All's Fair in Love and Las Vegas

Chapter Seventy-Nine

        Sunshine. That was the first thing I noticed. After a long winter in Canada, sunshine felt like drinking liquid happiness. It made my skin ache to be warm, and soon I got my wish. Standing on the tarmac meant that it was close a hundred degrees out. It even tasted hot.

        I loved it.

        I'd changed into shorts and a tank top on the plane after our nap, preparing to be hit with summer. Grayson was dressed similarly, with cargo shorts and a t-shirt. Except I think he was regretting the black color of his shirt, because within five minutes his forehead was shining with sweat.

        Inside the terminal was slightly better, thanks to air conditioning. But we were forced outside when we had to pick up the car.

        "What kind of car did you rent?" I asked, excited. Flying his own car to an island in Oceania was a bit much, even for an Answell. Which meant that maybe I'd get to ride in a more familiar, budget-friendly car for once.

        "A Jeep," he replied, pressing the fob and aiming it into the parking lot. Across the lot, I saw lights flash, so we started walking.

        I was mildly disappointed. "So...air conditioning will be useless."

        "Sorry," he said, wincing. "I should've thought of that."

        "It's okay. We're not that far from the resort," I said brightly.

        Grayson winced again. "Actually...see, we're not far from the resort, where we'll check in, but the villa is another ten minutes from there."

        "So a half hour out here. Again, not terrible."

        "Insta-bake," he corrected me. "We're going to go through sunscreen like it's water."

        "Yum," I joked.

        Our Jeep was nice, even if it did lack a roof. And doors. Actually, how does this even qualify as a car? It confused me as I hopped in the passenger seat. Grayson was driving, his sunglasses on and his watch glittering in the sunlight.

        We drove to the resort, which looked...sticky. Hot, sweaty tourists walking around in bunches sticky. I was grateful when we pulled up to the office and Grayson jumped out to check in. I could smell the intense chlorine from the pool from the parking lot, which was probably not a good sign.

        "You're sure this place is legit?" I asked when he came back. "It seems very...American. I'm using that as an insult."

        "Score!" Grayson said with a fist-pump, making me laugh. "Honestly, I have no idea. Mother did all the booking and everything, remember? For all I know, this is the sketchiest place this side of the international date line and she's trying to give us food poisoning." 

        "No, no, food poisoning would mean we're too ill and incapacitated to reproduce," I reminded him, rolling my eyes.

        He mimed gagging. "Ugh. How could I forget ?But thankfully you're right, so no throwing up on this trip!"

        Grayson handed me the set of keys to the villa before driving away, leaving the lovely sounds and scents of the resort behind. A couple of minutes later, the road had turned to dirt and the only thing you could hear was the lapping of waves on the beach. The road ran parallel to the ocean, giving me the perfect view of the glittering turquoise waters. The wind was nice as well, whipping our hair back from our faces. Or rather, my hair. Grayson's hair just rippled.

        "You look a lot better in the tropics," I noticed.

        He raised an eyebrow. "Better how?"